One vegetarian mom + one omnivore dad and two undecided kids = one [COMPLETED, HOORAY!] New Year’s resolution to create a ‘blended-family’-friendly vegetarian recipe every day—converting traditional family-favorite meals into meatless recipes that even picky kids (and husbands) will love! Stay tuned this year for our journey incorporating more whole foods!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Vegan Taco Bar

Day 306.

We love tacos and Mexican food in general in our house. But sometimes we like to add a little variety to our taco nights. Which type of variety that is varies on which family member you ask. So we serve our taco bars with multiple proteins, multiple toppings choices and multiple shell choices to allow everyone to create what they like. The real key to this type of meal, in my opinion, is the Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix.We mix a quadruple batch up in a large (16 ounces) leftover minced onion spice container and use it regularly. It makes tacos and other Mexican dishes much more frugal and is easy to mix up. Bonus for those with allergies: it's gluten free.

Mixing in1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, heat each cup of proteins either in a pan or microwave. Serve family style with various shells and toppings.

I like to arrange my proteins on a plate divided in quarters with cilantro. It keeps the proteins somewhat separate but allows you to pick your protein combination all at once. My favorites are seitan and chickpeas together for a chicken-like taco and "beef" and black beans together for a beefy taco. I serve the cold toppings in a bowl and the tortillas and shells on a plate that can be re-warmed.

The Results

This was a huge hit and was so incredibly simple to make. Some of us had burritos, others quesadillas or taco wraps. There were several tacos and even a taco salad. Fantastic!